Bryan Tanaka was reportedly dating Mariah Carey in a bid to launch his music career.

Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey

The 34-year-old backing dancer - who recently split from the singer - is said to have used their relationship to "increase his profile" and was simply "freeloading" off the 'We Belong Together' hitmaker who has a net worth of approximately $520 million, according to a source close to the former couple.

An insider told 'Entertainment Tonight': "Tanaka says that he never pays for anything and was freeloading on Mariah and using her for her fame and money to increase his profile.

"He's always desired to have a music career and was hoping that being with Mariah would help launch his music career. He was hoping to collaborate with her."

The pair's romance took a turn for the worse when they celebrated St. Patrick's Day (March 17) at celebrity hotspot Catch in Los Angeles, where an eyewitness told the publication Mariah was chatting with the restaurant staff about how she is still very close to her ex-husband, Nick Cannon, with whom she has five-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe.

Bryan is believed to have gotten "extremely jealous" and as a result he dramatically left the table and started to flirt up a storm with a female waitress, which was the last straw for Mariah.

The onlooker said: "Tanaka was extremely jealous, upset and he stormed off [from] the table.

"Tanaka has long been jealous with Mariah's close relationship with Nick Cannon.

"Mariah saw him come back and openly flirt with a female waitress, which really upset Mariah. She was furious.

"He was ordering lots of food, drinks and putting it on Mariah's tab."

Mariah - who started dating Bryan after her relationship with Australian billionaire James Packer collapsed in October 2016 - and the dancer appeared to put the day behind them as they holidayed together later in March in Cabo San Lucas in Mexico for the 'Hero' singer's birthday, but another insider says their holiday photos were a cover up.

They said: "He was posting pictures with her trying to make it look like everything was fine, but it wasn't."